The Prophecy of Four
A fanfiction by Hazelspots Based off the head-canon that the cats of the prophecy of Three are not the Three themselves- rather, they carry two souls inside them (one new, one ancient) and the ancient one guides them and gives them their powers. Also based off the head-canon that Hollyleaf was technically meant to be the fourth cat and in fact there was meant to be a fourth cat to begin with. The spirit that was meant to guide Hollyleaf did not descend upon her properly at birth and thus she does not have powers. The spirit instead descended on Firestar to give him the necessary strength to fight. Also ''based off the headcanon that the way StarClan cats get prophecies is through random segments of the future flashing through their mind. Feel free to offer constructive criticism. I'm always trying to improve myself. In progress. Most cats in allegiances aren't important to the story at all. Allegiances will be filled in later computer is about to die Blurb More moons ago than any living cat can remember, a prophecy was sent to Firestar of old ThunderClan- a prophecy that would determine the fate of the Clans. Now the four spirits of the prophecy have bestowed their powers again on a set of unlikely heroes- a medicine cat apprentice with knowledge beyond her years, a medicine cat with supernatural hearing, a weak elder with the inability to be wounded, and a small kit with the ability to sense the emotions of others and walk in their dreams. Will their powers be enough to stop the rising blood tide? Prologue Moons before... Cloudfur turned to Duskstar. The former leader's expression was serious and worried. "What's wrong, Duskstar?" "I had a vision. There is blood coming. Blood is rising." Cloudfur tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?" Suddenly, Duskstar was staring down at golden paws that weren't his. Blood was trickling from his head, and he struggled to breathe.. The scent of blood filled the air as bodies lay strewn all over the grass. The cats that had managed to survive were barely standing, growling as blood dripped from their wounds. He heard a mocking, satisfied laugh from above. Angling his head upward, he saw a muscled ginger cat with a colored ring around his neck. Stuck inside the ring were yellowed teeth of both cats and dogs, stained with blood. His vision went red and he returned to StarClan, still breathing heavily. Cloudfur looked even more concerned now. "How bad was the vision?" Duskstar sighed, chills running through his body at the thought of the ringed tyrant ruling the clans. "I wasn't seeing it. I was there, in the moment. The amount of bodies was unprecedented." After a long silence, he announced his decision. "We have to send the four." Part I Silverleaf was walking through the forest, crunching leaves underneath her paws. Suddenly, a starry warrior appeared in front of her. She recognized the cat. "Duskstar!" she exclaimed. The former leader of RoseClan was standing in front of her. Duskstar smiled. "Yes, Silverleaf. We of StarClan have things to tell you." Silverleaf nodded. "Of course." More StarClan warriors appeared all around her. A white tom with grey flecks in his fur walked up to her, and the rest of the warriors vanished. "Hello, Silverleaf." "Hello, Cloudfur." Cloudfur had been her mentor. "Come with me." Cloudfur dashed through the trees, and Silverleaf followed. She felt as if she could run forever across the moor with him. When Cloudfur stopped, she couldn't tell whether she had gone a thousand fox-lengths or just barely three. She saw a pool in front of her. She looked down into the blue- green water. On the left side of her, she saw an flickering image appear in the water. A small golden she-cat stood by her reflection; Silverleaf identified her as Petalkit, who was going to be apprenticed tomorrow. "She has been showing interest in being a medicine cat since she opened her eyes. StarClan has destined her as your apprentice. Petalkit has the gift of caring for others, the same you had when you were a kit," Cloudfur chirped. Silverleaf purred loudly. "Take care, and may StarClan light your path..." he said, and touched noses with her. The world spun around Silverleaf when she looked into Cloudfur's green eyes. Memories rushed back into her mind so fast she could barely hold in her emotions. She let out a distraught caterwaul into the darkness. She woke up, everything that just happened swirling in her mind. She walked out of her den, looking up at the sky. The moon was just about to set. She ran out to the front of the camp and tiptoed into the nursery. Every kit and queen was in a deep sleep. She nudged Petalkit with her paw. "Petalkit. I need to talk with you outside," Silverleaf whispered. Petalkit nodded and pushed herself to her paws, careful not to wake anyone up. She walked outside and followed Silverleaf to the heather at the camp's edge. "Petalkit, StarClan sent me a prophecy." "Why did you wake me up for it? Wouldn't you tell Dawnstar instead of me?" Petalkit cocked her head to the side. "It was about you. I need to know something." "What?" Silverleaf sighed. "There are two paths you may go down. StarClan has destined you to be by my side. I need you to make a choice, make the right choice. Will you be a warrior...or a medicine cat?" Petalkit's eyes glittered at the thought of being a medicine cat. "Wow! I want to be a medicine cat! Is that okay?" Silverleaf purred quietly. "Yes, little one. Yes, that is okay." She licked Petalkit's fur in happiness. "Now go back to sleep." Petalkit padded back to the nursery and curled back up beside her littermates. Silverleaf proceeded to dash over to the leader's den. She shook Dawnstar awake. "Dawnstar? I had a dream." Dawnstar sat up, all sleepiness vanishing from her body. "Yes, Silverleaf?" "StarClan told me that Petalkit is destined to be my apprentice. I asked her, and she answered yes. Who were you planning to give her to? I need to apologize, and then pray to StarClan they don't kill me!" Every hair on her pelt prickled with both happiness and anxiety. "Silverleaf. Calm down." Dawnstar's whiskers twitched with amusement. "She was begging me to make you her mentor, and now you have asked, and StarClan themselves have destined it! It will be so." Silverleaf was about to trot out of the den, when Dawnstar called out, "Wait!" She turned around. "Yes?" "I want you to stay with me until morning. I haven't had anyone by my side for so long." Dawnstar sighed, remembering her youth. Silverleaf sat beside Dawnstar, respecting the leader's wishes. It had been a while since she had felt the warmth of any cat washing over her fur, friend or stranger. They both closed their eyes and drifted off into a light sleep. Sunlight filtered through the den. They padded out, side by side. Cats were everywhere, and the dawn patrols had already gotten back. "Fox dung, I overslept!" Dawnstar meowed hastily, thrusting herself up onto the Highrock. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, please gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Quick as lightning, there was a crowd of cats standing under her. "It is time for Bluepelt's kits to become apprentices! Pebblekit!" Pebblekit scrambled up unto the Highrock. "Pebblekit, you have reached the age where it is time to be apprenticed. From this day until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Pebblepaw! Your mentor will be Talonclaw." Talonclaw leaped up next to Pebblepaw. "Talonclaw, you are ready for an apprentice. You have received wonderful training from Wolfblaze, and you have shown yourself to be helpful and courageous. I trust you will pass on everything you know to Pebblepaw." Talonclaw touched noses with Pebblepaw. "Petalkit!" Petalkit hauled herself up unto the highrock. "From this day forward until you earn your warrior name, you will be Petalpaw." Silverleaf traipsed forward, filled with glee, and stood proudly beside Petalpaw. "I've been medicine cat of this clan for many seasons, and I'm sure I'll be medicine cat for many more!" Chuckles came from the cats below. "But it's time I had an apprentice! Petalpaw will be the next medicine cat of RoseClan. Petalpaw, do you accept the choice of being my apprentice?" "I do!" said Petalpaw excitedly, without hesitation. Her paws tingled. "Then at the half-moon, you must travel to the Moonpool with me." Petalpaw nodded and they jumped off the Highrock together. The leader padded back to her den. Silverleaf trodded to her den, her new apprentice following close behind. She looked at her newest patient, Frostpaw, that was covered in wounds from a skirmish with a badger. She was still, but not quite asleep. "Petalpaw, do you know why you wanted to be a medicine cat?" she asked curiously. "I have seen the battles that go on in the Clans, and I've seen the terrible pain that comes with them." Petalpaw gazed into Frostpaw's half-glazed eyes. "Will she be okay?" Silverleaf stayed expressionless, questioning how Petalpaw could have seen the battles- she'd only been alive for six moons. "I don't know. But all we can do is look to StarClan and hope." *** Petalpaw's tail swung impatiently. Her and Silverleaf were sitting at the beginning of a stone path, waiting for the other medicine cats to show. Three more cats emerged out of the bracken, the different Clan scents intermingling. "Amberheart, Firefoot, Swiftstream." Silverleaf bowed quickly. "This is my new apprentice, Petalpaw." Petalpaw felt eyes burning into her pelt. Firefoot stepped forward and flicked Silverleaf on the ear with his tail playfully. "About time, eh, Silverleaf?" "Yes, you've been a medicine cat for longer than any of us have," Swiftstream commented. Silverleaf licked her chest, embarrassed. "That's not the point! We should get going. It's almost moonhigh." She surged ahead, leading the group. When they reached the Moonpool, she smiled proudly. "Petalpaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?" Petalpaw's tail swept the stone around her. "It is." "Then come forward," Silverleaf said. "StarClan, I present to you this apprentice. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom so she may understand your ways and heal her Clan in accordance with your will." Petalpaw felt fur brushing her pelt as she laid down and drank from the pool. The taste of the moonlit water lulled her to sleep. "Petalpaw? Petalpaw?" Sweet, echoing voices woke Petalpaw from her daze. A starry figure seemed to materialize in front of her. "Hello, Petalpaw." Petalpaw dipped her head in respect. When she looked back up, the figure was more solid. He was tall and had a white pelt, flecked with grey. "I am Cloudfur, the medicine cat that came before Silverleaf." "Hello, Cloudfur." "So much to say, within the time of a dream..." he murmured. "You have a power. You may have heard of The Three, from your elders, which heard it from their ancestors before them. Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather. You are like those three, owning a power beyond the stars. One could see what others couldn't. One could fight and never tire. Hollyleaf was the only one left out. She had no power, or so she thought. This power has manifested itself, after countless seasons, through you." Images seemed to run through Petalpaw. "Maybe my power is that I can understand everything." Are those Hollyleaf's words? she wondered. She had no time to ponder. More pictures flooded into her. She could tell they were from the past. A long trek up mountains seemed to fly by in a few moments, and more cats rushed down the mountains. The seasons changed in a blur, and she sensed pain, death, and anger. Paws stampeded through snow as kits wailed and warriors helplessly starved. The few remaining gathered around a lake. More seasons flew by, and now she was getting somewhere she knew about. She saw Clans divided and fighting against each other. More than half of the cats in each of the Clans left to find a new home. The remaining cats huddled around the Gathering tree, each taking their turn in proclaiming that the leaving cats had threatened to kill them all if they had to change their names, and that they could not allow that to happen. They each renamed their clan, losing all past heritage. Beginning anew, each Clan was named after its leader. ThunderClan was now OakClan, RiverClan had become BriarClan, and ShadowClan quietly named themselves RainClan. The WindClan leader was the last to go. The calico she-cat let out a yowl. She only heard one word, "RoseClan." The violent visions faded. "Do you see? You can see what has happened. This is a blessing. Can you do anything else?" "I..." Petalpaw was almost speechless. Her ears pricked. "I can hear your thoughts..." She concentrated harder. "But only some. You are hiding many things behind fog." Cloudfur's face stayed expressionless. "Now you see why this may also be a curse. Knowing thoughts...you will know things that you were not intended to. You must carry this burden. Blood is rising. I'm sorry. " With the final, sweet words, an empty black seemed to hit her. Petalpaw lifted her head, the words still echoing in her ears. ''Blood is rising. The rest of the medicine cats began to wake. They began to say their final goodbyes. "Bye, Amberheart, Swiftstream, and Firefoot!" Firefoot yet again stepped forward. "Bye, Silverleaf. And have a good time training your long-needed apprentice." Silverleaf purred in amusement. "And you have a good time finding one as good a medicine cat as mine!" If only she knew how right she was...Petalpaw thought. She followed Silverleaf through the valley all the way back to camp. Entering the camp, she noticed thoughts burning into her mind. Talonclaw's mind was filled with pride about her first apprentice. Silverleaf was pushing her worry over Frostpaw to the back of her mind. Dawnstar was regretting and mulling over the lives she lost and the people she knew who had died. Petalpaw focused and retreated back into her own mind. This power was going to be a difficult burden. Part II Firefoot's paws kneaded the grass of the hollow as stars shone down on him. A starry shadow towered over him. "Firefoot." "Yes, Wolfheart?" he responded. "Do you remember an ancient prophecy, a prophecy you might have heard of from your elders, which heard it from their elders before them? There will be three..." Wolfheart looked into his eyes. "Kin of your kin, that will hold the power of the stars in their paws. It was a prophecy delivered to ThunderClan of old's Firestar. It has been fulfilled and done. What matter is it now?" "Three were born. But one was not meant to be. One kit was blind, but saw much more than those with sight did. One kit could fight without tiring or wounds. One kit heard all and saw all; her senses extended far beyond the mountains. One cat should have been able to see history that went back and back and back, becoming wise in her knowledge." "The souls of these cats were very old. They had existed before the Clans of old ever did. " "What does this have to do with me?" Firefoot questioned shakily. "The three souls were known by all different names by different cats, but most know them as Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing. The fourth was known as Hollyleaf. She did not receive the power she should have. The lost soul has already taken her stand. You are the third, Firefoot. We knew this from when you were born. Dovewing's spirit no longer walks with us. " "I always thought it was natural and normal, that every cat heard and saw things this way." Wolfheart shook his head. "That is exactly what Dovewing thought." "And the stories that date back to after the Battle with the Darkness say that the Three lost their powers after the battle. Their sole purpose has been fulfilled." "Not so. There's a new prophecy, and nothing is the same. All we know is the Four have suddenly come back to the Clans." He was suddenly curious about the destiny of the Four- his destiny now. "Why did the Four come to the Clans this time? What trouble is headed for us?" Warriors of StarClan appeared behind the ghost of his mentor. The crowd seemed to stretch forever, going back generations and generations. "Blood is rising!" They chanted loudly, over and over again, pounding into his ears. *** Firefoot rose from his den, dazed from his dream. The eyes of the warriors of Starclan still burned into his soul. They glowed with such an intensity as if longing to share all the information the stars could provide. He still could not shake the declarations that StarClan had made to him. First, the idea that the spirit of Dovewing, whose spirit was first crafted even in the time before the Clans and perhaps even before the time of the Ancients, rested upon him made him shudder. Second, the coming of the Four. Why had they come, finally all together for the first time? Hollyleaf's soul had been absent in the past, a misguided force that blew like the wind. For the first time, Hollyleaf's soul both guided a cat and gave the cat powers beyond the stars. He stretched out of his mossy nest and laid his paws on the cold floor of his stone den. The sun rose overhead as cats of all Clans snored and stretched in their nests. He turned around to face the corner of the den, overlaid with moss. Sunpaw, an apprentice, had been on a border patrol yesterday when a band of rogues attacked her out of nowhere. She was wide awake, staring at the wall. "How are you feeling this morning, Sunpaw?" he asked to ease the tension. "I keep thinking about it over and over and over. Those slashing claws, those biting jaws...they wore kittypet collars, but laced with the teeth of dogs! They taunted me and wouldn't stop. I remember the blood welling up around my neck...the forest floor was covered with blood...blood everywhere." "But you're fine now, aren't you? " said Firefoot, collecting herbs for a new poultice. "I lost my mentor! Who's going to train me now? I should have never gone on that patrol!" "You're lucky to have lived." He passed her some poppy seeds and thyme mixed together, and she reluctantly ate them. "They raked him until his white fur was bright red. They pounced on top of him and kept slashing his neck. His head twisted and his eyes glazed over. His eyes..." she shook with horror. "He wouldn't breathe. I told him to keep breathing and he wouldn't breathe! I can't go on like this." She turned in her nest and whimpered. Firefoot, filled with rage, closed his eyes and focused his mind. He was determined to find the cats that had done this to her. He'd use his powers. Tilting his ears wildly in every direction, he could see was the Clans. He went out farther, past the Thunderpath. His head was beginning to ache with the strain. Farther still, to the Twolegplace. The sounds flooded his ears, and he could barely stand it anymore. There! In his mind's eye, he saw cats with collars laced with the dog teeth that Sunpaw had mentioned. They weaved in the alleys of the bustling Twolegplace, refusing to sheathe their claws. A muscled gray tabby leaped on top of a smooth black boulder that seemed unnatural, and yowled loudly. A gigantic crowd of cats stood in front of the boulder and followed with proud caterwauls. He couldn't quite make out anything they were saying. He shuddered and withdrew to the safety of his own mind. Now he understood Sunpaw's fear. If these cats could kill so easily, it scared him what a danger they would be to the forest. Blood is rising... He cleared his mind of the thought and spread the poultice on Sunpaw's wounds. Sunpaw had almost drifted off to sleep when she jolted awake. "Blood!" she shrieked. Blood...blood is rising. "Shhhh...." Firefoot nuzzled her gently, his heart panging with sadness at her suffering. Poppy seeds and thyme weren't going to help her. He began to groom her matted ginger fur, still stained with blood. "You need rest." Sunpaw whimpered. "Shhhhh. Rest." He continued licking. Sunpaw's tense shoulders began to relax, and despite her previous outburst, she started to appear halfway comfortable and calm. The rest of the Clans were sending out the morning patrols by now, and OakClan was sending out theirs as well. Even though everything was alive and awake, Sunpaw needed to rest. Her breathing was slowing and stabilizing, and a gentle, nearly silent purr rose from her throat. Firefoot trotted out of the den quietly, as to not wake Sunpaw. The vigil held for her mentor, Snowpelt, was just finishing up. The leader, mother, and littermates of the senior warrior were entering into the camp. Firefoot had been close to the warrior but hadn’t had the time to go see him. He decided to share tongues with him one last time before he was buried by the Clan elders. He walked towards the hollow exit to where his body lay. Before he could bring his head close to his fur, Sunpaw let out a piercing yowl. Shock flooded through his body before he realized it was just another one of Sunpaw’s nightmares. He went back to the medicine den, ready to calm Sunpaw down. She was looking at him with wide eyes, and her breathing was fast. “Sunpaw, would you like to come say goodbye to Snowpelt? The elders are going to bury him soon.” Sunpaw seemed torn over the choice. After what seemed like endless agony on her part, she finally struggled out of her nest, head hung low. “It’s the most I can do to show my respect.” Firefoot walked to match Sunpaw’s slow pace. The rest of the Clan seemed to glare at the injured apprentice as they walked together towards the exit of the hollow. At the sight of Snowpelt’s body, Sunpaw collapsed into his fluffy white fur. She tried to say something, but started wailing loudly instead. Firefoot crouched down to Sunpaw's level and tried to sympathize. When his mentor had died, he had laid in his fur all night in a fit of depression. Blood had stained the warrior's pure, white fur. Firefoot was suddenly hit with a wave of emotion. He had been close to Snowpelt too, and the two had been close friends. Being a medicine cat and seeing so much death, he rarely felt this way. He laid his muzzle against his body. Nothing to say to Sunpaw, nothing to say at all''. '' See you in StarClan. Category:Fanfiction Category:In progress